When four Boston Red Sox games on NESN were streamed live in virtual reality in September, the pilot enabled fans to try watching games wearing Samsung Gear VR headsets with the ability to choose from different 180-degree camera perspectives.
For one fan — and those who have heard his story — the ability to do so meant much more.
“About a month later, we received an email from a fan whose father has MS (multiple sclerosis) and huge Red Sox fan and physically unable to go to Fenway Park to watch his team that he grew up rooting for, and they provided him with a Samsung Gear VR headset and allowed him to watch the game,” Fenway Sports Management managing director Mark Lev said Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show’s Sports Technology Innovation Summit.
“And…it was goosebumps. Like this is the impact that technology can have.”
The partnership between Fenway Sports Group-owned NESN and Intel was “very successful,” according to Lev and showed the organization the opportunities that virtual reality can offer fans. The Red Sox have offered VR experiences in batting cage and dugout environments at Fenway Park through STRIVR. And Fenway Sports Management also has done a VR experience with its Liverpool FC property that showcases a virtual Anfield stadium.
“I agree that there’s still some innovation that needs to take place before it becomes a truly social experience, but I don’t want to underestimate the power of individual VR experience,” Lev said. “Especially from our perspective, we’re very lucky to have two iconic sports venues in Fenway Park and Anfield that a half of a percent of our supporters around the world will ever have the opportunity to set foot in those venues, so to give them the experience of walking out of the tunnel at Anfield or going inside the Green Monster at Fenway, that’s not watching a game certainly, but it’s a very powerful way to connect with fans and give them an experience that they would never otherwise have, so that’s very important to us.”
